Ombudsman Remulla to run after city, town officials who are remiss in proper waste management
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said his office will run after city and municipal officials who are remiss in their duties of proper waste control and disposal.
In a press briefing, Remulla said he will enlist the help of an assistant Ombudsman to act as environmental Ombudsman to do the job.
He pointed out that there are a lot of cases wherein trash and floods are correlated.
"The floods also show us how bad things are pag dating sa basura (when it comes to trash)," he said.
Many local government officials in the cities and municipalities are not doing their job in handling garbage and trash and recycling them, he lamented.
Thus, he said, a lot of the trash ends up in the waterways, which only worsens floods during times of heavy rain.
He declared: "It has to stop and we want to attribute liability here. Trabaho yan ng mayor sa ngayon (It's currently the job of the mayors now)."
Citing an example, Remulla said the water off Manila Bay has "a million tons of garbage," and he said it is "one of the most heavily plasticized waterways in the world."
This is lamentable, he stressed as he pointed out that Manila Bay is "one of the richest, one of the most biodiverse waters in the world."